Box and reinforcing lip therefor



Sept. 24, 1957 P. L- WR 3 2,807,406

I BOX AND REINFORCING LIP THEREFOR Original Filed May '7, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. p/sec's L. zawesv Je- BY Sept. 24, 1957 P. L. LOWREY, SR 2, 07,40

BOX AND REINFORCING LIP THEREFOR Original Filed May 7, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JNVENTDR.

I P/e-ecs 410M957 an.

United States Patent BOX AND REINFORCING LIP THEREFOR Continuation of abandoned application Serial N 0. 428,161, May 7, 1954. This application April 28, 1955, Serial N 0. 504,510 g 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-47) This invention relates to a box and a reinforcing lip therefor and has for its primary object to facilitate the storage and shipment of a number of such boxes in a knockdown condition while enabling the blank from which the box is constructed to be readily assembled into a completed container.

This application is a continuation of my copending application Serial No. 428,161, filed May 7, 1954, now abandoned.

Another object is to reinforce a cover flap for the box and provide a lip on said cover flap which will overlie an adjacent cover flap and effect a substantially dust-tight junction between adjacent edges of the cover flap.

The above and other objects may be attained by employing this invention which embodies among its features a bottom, side walls carried by and extending upwardly from said bottom, end walls carried by and extending upwardly from said bottom, cover flaps carried by the side walls for movement in arcuate paths from an open position in which they extend upwardly from said side walls to a closed position in which they lie substantially parallel to the bottom and their edges remote from the side walls lie adjacent one another, a lip of relatively stiff material fixed to one of the cover flaps and extending outwardly therefrom adjacent the edge thereof remote from the side wall carrying the flap, said lip when the box is closed overlying the adjacent cover flap, and means carried by the lip adjacent opposite ends thereof for detachable connection to the end walls to hold the cover flaps closed.

Other features include buttons carried by the end walls and extending outwardly therefrom adjacent the outer sides thereof, flexible members carried by the lip and detachably engaged with the buttons for holding the cover flaps closed, flanges carried by the lip and extending outwardly therefrom adjacent opposite ends thereof for overlying portions of the end walls when the cover flaps are closed, and flexible members carried by the flanges for engaging the buttons and holding the cover flaps closed.

Still other features include a lip for reinforcing the longitudinal side edge of a cover flap and for overlying an adjacent edge of an adjacent cover flap, said lip comprising a strip of relatively rigid material, a row of longitudinally spaced stops carried by the strip and extending outwardly from one side thereof for engaging one longitudinal side edge of a cover flap and locating the strip thereon, a row of longitudinally spaced prongs carried by said strip and extending outwardly therefrom for penetrating the cover flap and holding the strip thereon, and flanges carried by the strip and extending outwardly therefrom adjacent opposite ends thereof for engaging opposite ends of the cover flap.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box embodying the features of this invention showing it in its knockdown or collapsed position with this improved reinforcing lip in place thereon,

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the box partly erected;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the box, showing it closed;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the box illustrated in Figure 3, showing the underside thereof;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the reinforcing lip;

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Figure 3;

' Figure 7 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken substantially on the line 77 of Figure 3; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional View through one of the end walls showing a button in detail.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a box designated generally 10 comprises a bottom 12 carrying adjacent opposite longitudinal side edges side walls 14 which, when the box is erected, extend upwardly in substantially perpendicular relation to the bottom 12. Carried by the bottom 12 and extending upwardly therefrom adjacent opposite ends thereof are end walls 16 carrying at their upper edges end [flaps 18 which, as illustrated in Figure 2, are adapted to be turned inwardly to lie in substantially spaced parallel relation to the bottom 12. The bottom 12 is composed of bottom flaps 12 carried by opposite side walls 14 which are folded inwardly, as illustrated in Figure 6, when the box is erected to provide the bottom 12. A suitable false bottom 20 rests on the bottom flaps 12 when they are in the position illustrated in Figure 6 to define the bottom. 12. Carried by the side walls 14 adjacent the upper edges thereof are cover flaps 22 and 24 which are adapted to be folded downwardly and secured in substantially spaced parallel relation to the bottom 12 to define a top or cover designated generally 26. When the box is assembled, as illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 6, the adjacent edges of the bottom flaps 12 are held in mating relation, as illustrated in Figure 6, by a strip 28 which is adhesively secured to the flaps 12 in overlying relation to the adjacent edges thereof. As illustrated in the drawings, opposite ends of the strip 28 are adhesively connected to opposite ends 16 of the box and are reinforced by cross strips 30 which are adhesively connected to the end walls of the box. Carried by and projecting outwardly from the end walls 16 of the box adjacent the upper edges thereof are buttons 32, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear.

A reinforcing lip designated generally 34 comprises a strip 36 of relatively stiff material such as sheet metal or sheet plastic carrying a row of longitudinally spaced stops 38 which extend outwardly from one side face of the strip 36 and carry tongues 40 which lie in spaced parallel relation to the strip 36. The stops 38 are adapted to engage the longitudinal side edge of the coverflap 22 remote from the side wall 14 to which it is attached, while the tongues 40 overlie the adjacent surface of the flap 22, as will be readily understood upon reference to Figure 2. Carried by and extending perpendicularly outwardly from the strip 36 on the side thereof carrying the stops 38 are longitudinally spaced prongs 42 of substantially triangular shape to provide pointed ends which will penetrate the cover flap 22 and which prongs may be bent over the face of the cover flap 22 remote from that engaged by the strip 36 to clinch the reinforcing lip 34 to the cover flap 22 in such a position that said lip will project beyond the adjacent side edge of the cover flap 22, as will be readily understood upon reference to the drawing. That portion of the lip 34 which projects beyond the side edge of the cover flap 22 is adapted to overlie the adjacent side edge of the cover flap 24 when the box is closed.

Carried by and extending substantially perpendicularly from the strip 36 adjacent opposite ends therof are flanges 44 which, when the box is closed, engage opposite end walls 16 thereof, to reinforce and stiffen the junction between the cover 26 and the end walls 16. Extending through the flanges 44 are spaced openings 46 through which are extended flexible members 48 which, as illustrated inFigutes 3 and 4, are adapted to be engaged'with the buttons 32 carried by opposite end walls 16 in order to securedhe cover fiaps 22 and 24. in closed position, as illustratedin Figures 3 and 6. A

Theboxi's shipped in knockdown condition, as illustrated in Figure 1, and erected, as illustrated in Figure 2, by folding the bottom flaps 12inwardly, as illustrated in Figure 6, to define the bottom 12. The adhesive strip 28 is then secured to the bottom flaps 12 adjacent the adja'centfedges thereof to define a dust-tight joint, after which the false bottom or reinforcing bottom 20 is placed on the bottom 12 withinthe b'ox.u Aftertplacing the contents within the box, thetend cover flaps 18 are folded inwardly, as illustrated in. Figure 2, after whichthe side flaps 22 and 24 are folded downwardly with the lip 34 overlying the adjacent edges of the'cover flaps 22 and 24 to effect a substantially dust-tight junction with said cover flap. With the coverfiaps in closed position, as

illustrated in Figures 3, 4 and 6, the flanges 44 will over-- lie the portions of the end walls 16 adjacent the cover flaps sorthat the flexible members'48 may be wound about their, respective buttons 32 to hold the cover flaps in closed position. By reason of the stiffness of the lip 34, an effective reinforcement of the junction of the cover flaps 22 and 24 will result which will materially aid in excluding dust and dirt from the interior of the box.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed.

Whatis claimed is:

1. A box comprising a bottom, side walls carried by and extending upwardly from said bottom, end walls carried by and extending upwardly from said bottom, cover flaps carried by the side Walls for movement in arcuate paths from an open position in which they extend upwardly from said side walls to a closed position in which they lie substantially parallel to the bottom and their edges remote from the side walls lie adjacent one another, a lip attached to one cover flap and overlying the other cover flap when the box isclosed, said lip comprising, a

strip of relatively rigid material, a row of longitudinally spaced stops carried by the strip intermediate its longitudinal edges and extending outwardly from one side of 2,807,406 r My said strip and engaging the longitudinal edge of the cover flap to which the lip is attached to locate the strip on the flap, and a row of longitudinally spaced prongs carried by said strip offset to one side of the row of stops and extending outwardly therefrom, said prongs penetrating the cover flap and bent over the face of the cover flap remote from the base of the flap engaged by the strip to hold the strip on the flap, said strip having an imperforate portion lying along a longitudinal line immediately adjacent the row of stops and on the opposite side of the row of stops from the row of prongs.

2. A box comprising a bottom, side walls carried by and extending upwardly from said bottom, end walls carried by and extending upwardly from said bottom, cover flaps carried by the side walls for movement in arcuate paths from an open position in which they extend upwardly from said side walls to a closed position in which they lie substantially parallel to the bottom and their edges remote from the side walls lie adjacent one another, a lip of relatively stiff material fixed toone of the cover flaps and overlying an adjacent edge of the other cover flap when the box is closed to effect a substantially dust-tight junction between the adjacent cover'flaps, said lip comprising, a single thickness strip of relatively rigid material, a row of longitudinally spaced stops cut from an intermediate area of the strip and extending outwardly from and then parallel to the strip to-form with the strip a U-shaped member, said one flap having its free longitudinal side edge extending into and snugly embraced by said U-shaped member to locate the strip on the flap and to cooperate with the hereinafter mentioned prongs to hold the strip on the flap, and a row of longitudinally spaced prongs cut from the strip in a position laterally offset from the row of stops and extending outwardly therefrom and through the cover flap, said prongs bent to overlie the face of the cover flap remote from the face engaged by the strip cooperating with the stops to hold the strip on the cover flap.

Australia Sept. 27, 1951 

